Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the chocolate cream
Beat the yolks of the eggs well.
Put the yolks into a basin with the grated chocolate, the sugar, and 1 pint of the cream. Stir these ingredients well together.
Pour them into a jug.
Set the jug in a saucepan of boiling water.
Stir the mixture one way until it thickens, but do not allow it to boil, or it will curdle.
Strain the cream through a sieve into a basin.
Stir in the isinglass and the other ½ pint of cream, which should be well whipped. Mix all well together.
Pour the mixture into a mould that has been previously oiled with the purest salad-oil.
If at hand, set the mould in ice until wanted for table.
Make the soufflé
Break the eggs, separating the whites from the yolks, and put them into different basins.
Add to the yolks the sugar, flour, and chocolate, which should be very finely grated.
Stir these ingredients for 5 minutes.
Whisk the whites of the eggs in the other basin until they are stiff.
When firm, mix lightly with the yolks until the whole forms a smooth and light substance.
Butter a round cake-tin and put the mixture into the tin.
Bake and serve
Bake in a moderate oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Pin a white napkin round the tin, strew sifted sugar over the top of the soufflé, and send it immediately to table.
Hold a salamander over the soufflé until it is placed on the table.
Do not allow the soufflé to stand after it comes from the oven, or it will be spoiled.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cream + flourtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the custard, and whipped whites give the soufflé its light structure.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, and whipped cream lightens the chilled mixture.
- Chocolate (in the method)
- Provides the main flavour and colour of the dish.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the mixture and supports the whisked egg whites.
- Flour
- Adds body to the soufflé mixture, helping it hold its shape.
The step that matters
Thicken the custard without boiling. Egg yolk proteins set under gentle heat. If the mixture boils, they tighten and separate, so it curdles and turns grainy instead of smooth.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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